Flat 'Quad' Summit... Only North Korea Denuclearization Mentioned Instead of China

Contrary to Expectations of Anti-China Alliance, China’s Vaccine Diplomacy Blocked
North Korea’s Denuclearization Emphasized Instead
Discussion on Semiconductor and Rare Earth Supply Planned

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The security consultative body 'Quad,' consisting of the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, held its first summit and agreed to join forces to enhance security and respond to threats in the Indo-Pacific region. Contrary to initial expectations, China was not directly mentioned, and instead, North Korea's denuclearization was discussed, leading to evaluations that the meeting was somewhat lackluster.

The participating leaders also decided to intensify discussions on the recently emerging issues of semiconductor and rare earth supply, which is expected to impact inter-Korean relations and the South Korean economy.

The four Quad countries?the United States, Japan, India, and Australia?stated in a joint declaration released after the virtual summit on the 12th (local time), "We are committed to promoting a free, open, rules-based, and international law-based order to enhance security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and to counter threats."

The meeting was attended by U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

President Biden said at the meeting, "The United States will cooperate with you, our partners, and all our allies to ensure stability in the region."

The participating leaders agreed to hold an in-person summit by the end of the year following the virtual meeting and established working groups on vaccine distribution, critical emerging technology cooperation, and climate change, to enable experts and senior officials to meet regularly.

The outcome of this meeting showed less direct offensiveness toward China than initially expected. Instead, efforts to block China's COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy and North Korea's denuclearization were relatively meaningfully mentioned.

The declaration stated, "We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions." It also emphasized the need to resolve the issue of Japanese abductees by North Korea, which Japan has continuously demanded.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a press briefing that vaccines produced in India will be prioritized for delivery to ASEAN countries. The Quad has pledged 1 billion vaccine doses to ASEAN by 2022.

Advisor Sullivan also said the working groups will investigate the global shortage of semiconductor chips and rare earth elements. China supplies most of the rare earth elements.

The meeting also seemed to moderate its tone considering China's opposition and the relationships between participating countries and China.

Sullivan said that although China was partially discussed during the meeting, the Quad is not a military alliance or a new form of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

State Department spokesperson Ned Price previously mentioned, "The Quad was not established to respond to a single threat or focus on a single issue."

China expert Bill Hayton told NBC News, "While the Quad countries intend to contain China, it is not an official military alliance, nor is there security responsibility among the countries."

Following the Quad summit, the United States will engage in a series of meetings with South Korea, Japan, and China in the coming week, also pursuing face-to-face diplomatic efforts.

In particular, the high-level U.S.-China talks to be held in Alaska are expected to be a litmus test for U.S.-China relations under the Biden administration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.